Hi-5's History
Hi-5 was created by Helena Harris and Posie Graeme-Evans in 1998, after her sons overcame her TV program "Bananas in Pyjamas". Hi-5 is known as a children's pop music group as well as being a television show, much like peer children's entertainers The Wiggles. They also teach arts and crafts. Hi-5 is now shown in approximately 80 countries. Is a vibrant mix of stories, investigation, imagination, and adventure. The Hi-5 cast members bring to the screen and stage their love of children and their passion for music, movement, and laughter. The Hi-5 brand is complemented by an inviting, engaging, contemporary look and feel which extends to a whole world of applications and appeals beyond a preschool audience, capturing the imagination of children and adults alike. Hi-5 is loved throughout the world including Asia, the United Kingdom, Latin America, New Zealand, Canada and beyond. Hi-5 * Name: Hi-5 * Current Members: 5 ** Past Members: '''15 * '''Country of Origin: Australia * Genre: Children's Edutainment * Created by: Helena Harris & Posie Graeme-Evans * Original Language: English * Series and Episodes: ** Hi-5: 13 Series and 570 Episodes (1999-2011) ** Hi-5 House: 3 Series and 75 Episodes (2013-2016) ** Hi-5: Revival Series (2017-present) * First Aired: January during April 12, 1999 * Production Company: ** Kids Like Us Productions (1999-2007) ** Nine Films and Television (1999-2011) ** Southern Star Group (1999-2001, 2008-2011, 2017-present) ** Asiasons Group (2012-2016) History Hi-5 was released on January 1, 1999, with the song Ready Or Not (Games) and the last song yet was Making Music (Music) (remake of the original song in 2005) in December 2011. Actually, Hi-5 has 13 Seasons with three Hi-5 House seasons and next year with new Hi-5 series. In every series, there are nine feature songs, termed 'Songs of the Week' (the titles of which are shown below). With the exception of series six, each series has run for nine weeks, allowing each song to be featured for a full week's schedule of five episodes. To date, there have been 570 episodes aired. In 2004, filming of new episodes was not completed due to the group focusing on touring. Instead, Series 6 was composed of 6 songs of the Week and various segments which had been filmed in 2002 and 2003. The lack of a series 14 in 2012 is happened due to the contract with a Malaysian company called Tremendous, former-Asiasons. A spin-off series, Hi-5 House, aired on Nick Jr. from 2013 to 2016, produced with no involvement from Nine. Nine renewed its partnership in with the Hi-5 franchise in October 2016 and announced its plans to revive Hi-5 with a new cast in 2017. Each section indicates the year in which each season aired. As with all the skits, each song focuses on teaching the audience general common values in life and childhood, such as love, growth, imagination, fun, acceptance, adventure and more. Each week, there is a theme of the week that the song goes along with. The theme is given at the beginning of each episode in animation. Since 2009, a dinosaur on wheels and a caterpillar on wheels (or sometimes a teddy bear) participating in some activity that goes with the theme. The UK version features animated versions of the cast instead. The theme appears in colourful letters, children's voices announce the theme and then the show begins. The logo is a purple hand with a green outline (yellow in stage since 2005) and the letters HI (Yellow), - (Pink), and 5 (Orange). The logo has changed since 2009: The purple hand now is magenta. On stage (from Series 11), the logo had minor changes: HI (Yellow and Red) and - (Blue). - 2006-2008= Hi-5 in series 8 to 10, was used only in the American version's christmas special - 2009-2013= Hi-5 in series 11 to 13. - 2013-2017= The official screen TV logo for the Hi-5 House series 1 to 3. - 2017-2018= The official screen TV logo for the Hi-5 revival series 1-present. }} Cast Former Members * Kathleen de Leon Jones (1998 - 2007) * Tim Harding (1998 - 2007) * Charli Robinson (1998 - 2008) * Kellie Crawford (1998 - 2008) * Nathan Foley (1998 - 2008) * Sun Pezzimenti (2006 - 2008) * Stevie Nicholson (2007 - 2015, 2018) * Casey Burgess (2008 - 2013) * Tim Maddren (2009 - 2013) * Lauren Brant (2009 - 2014) * Fely Irvine (2009 - 2011) * Ainsley Melham (2013 - 2016) * Gabe Brown (2016) - Note: Gabe would make the Hi-5 House Season 4, but gave up the band after 3 months. (However, Hi-5 House Season 4 was canceled due to Hi-5's revival with Nine). * Chris White (2016) - Note: Replaced Gabe Brown. Temporary Member until December * Mary Lascaris (2013 - 2016) * Dayen Zheng (2012 - 2016) * Tanika Anderson (2014 - 2016, 2018) * Lachie Dearing (2016 - 2019) * Joe Kalou (2017 - 2019) * Shay Clifford (2017 - 2019) * Courtney Clarke (2017 - 2019) * Bailey Spalding (2017 - 2019) Cast history The Hi-5 original cast was selected in 1998 to the first season, with Charli Robinson, Nathan Foley, Kathleen de Leon Jones, Kellie Hoggart and Tim Harding. Kathleen had the puzzles segment with the help of the puppet called Jup Jup, Charli had the moves segments, Nathan had the space segment, Kellie had the vocabulary segment with the help of the puppet called Chatterbox (Chats for short), and Tim H had the music segment. Everyone had the segment of Sharing Stories. The success was a lot, so, Hi-5 USA was created in 2003 with the Series 5 of Hi-5 Australia. But Hi-5 (USA) was separated in 2007. All members of both versions have already met once in 2005. In 2006, Kathleen de Leon Jones was having her first baby, and so, Sun Pezzimenti was the temporary replacement. The Series 9 was released in 2007 with the debut of Sun. Kathleen has appeared in three episodes, in which she was pregnant and that is with a newborn baby named Mikayla De Leon Jones. Kathleen left Hi-5 in 2007. Tim Harding left Hi-5 in November 2007 because he had a motorcycle accident, was replaced by Stevie Nicholson. The Series 10 was released with the debut of Stevie Nicholson in 2008. In 2008-2011, Hi-5 UK was created, but it didn't do more than eight SOTWs. In that same year, Charli Robinson left Hi-5, she was replaced by Casey Burgess (initially, Casey was not blonde). In the Playtime tour, Nathan Foley and Kellie Crawford announced that they'd leave Hi-5 after 10 years in October 2008 that her last show would be at Carols By Candlelight on 24 December 2008. Sun also left Hi-5 on that same day. See which reasons for his departure from the group: * Charli: In February 2008 she left to pursue other interests in presenting work, and acting in film and television, in order to "challenge herself". * Kellie: Left to explore other career opportunities and to settle down and start a family. * Nathan: Left to concentrate on a solo music career. * Sun: Quit as she wished to settle down, enjoy married life and possibly have children of her own. The members Stevie Nicholson and Casey Burgess remain in the group. And Series 11 was released with new members Tim Maddren, Fely Irvine and Lauren Brant. After Series 13, Fely Irvine left to pursue other acting opportunities. Her final performance was at the 2011 Carols By Candlelight. In 2012, Dayen Zheng replaced her. The TV series would follow with the Series 14, but was canceled by breach of contract and due to production changeovers: A Malaysian company called Asiasons, bought all the rights to the brand Hi-5. While the group did more shows and events in Asian countries. Occurred over a live presentation in Carols By Candlelight on 24 December 2012, and announced that the members Tim Maddren and Casey Burgess will leave the group until January 19, 2013, on the last day of the Hi-5 Holiday tour in Cebu City, Philippines. The departing members for that reason: * Tim M: Left after getting a role in The Addams Family Broadway Musical. * Casey: Left to pursue a solo music career. The members Stevie Nicholson, Dayen Zheng and Lauren Brant remained in the group. On 23 January 2013, it was the first performance with new members Ainsley Melham and Mary Lascaris. The choice of new members was shown in the first movie called "Some Kind Of Wonderful" launched in March 2013 on Australia and New Zealand. The new cast recorded a new TV series called Hi-5 House which debuted on November 4, 2013 from Nick Jr. It was filmed entirely in Singapore. On 12 June 2014, Lauren Brant left the band on an official statement on YouTube. Tanika Anderson replaced her. Chào Bé Yêu was announced by Tri Viet Media and was scheduled for March 2014 by HTV 3 channel. There are rumors that there would be versions for China and Mexico, which would be the first Hi-5s of the Far East and Latin America if this happens (in the case of a possible Mexican version), would replace the Australian cast for the second time in Latin countries. The Vietnamese version was the first series of Hi-5 to have their own language. In August 2015, Stevie Nicholson announced that he would leave the group on December 21, 2015, the last show was in the Philippines. In the last month that Stevie would leave the Hi-5, revealed his new successor called Lachie Dearing (The then acting member), and his debut in the group was in January 2016. However, in the same period that Ainsley Melham had left the band, and in the same year, there was replacement twice, Gabe Brown was the first acting successor (The production would already have a Hi-5 House Season 4, but didn't happen), and after three months, Gabe gave up the group, and announced the second acting successor named Chris White. As Hi-5 returned to the Nine Channel in October 2016 announcing the new cast, the members Dayen Zheng, Mary Lascaris, Tanika Anderson and the acting member Chris White left the team due to the contract. In December 2016, the new members were revealed: Shay Clifford, Courtney Clarke, Bailey Spalding, Joe Kalou, and Lachie Dearing has become the new definitive member for the new cast. The first live performance was in Carols By Candlelight 'on December 24, 2016. The recordings of the new TV season were scheduled for January or February 2017. A second series of the revival was planned for 2018 before filming was halted and the Australian production office was closed. All five members announced their departures and the group adopted temporary touring members for the remainder of 2018. On October 12, 2018, Stevie Nicholson spoke on the social networks linked to Hi-5, there are rumors about returning to the band after 3 years of leaving. Guide segments Each presenter hosts an education-centric segment of the show. At times, they're assisted by their co-presenters to display social skills and group problem-solving skills. *'Bailey Spalding (Series 17) hosts the section body move encouraging body co-ordination skill development through dancing, hopping, jumping and stepping. Formerly presented by Charli Robinson (Original Series 1-10), Lauren Brant (Original Series 11-13) and Mary Lascaris (House Series 1-3). *'Joe Kalou' (Series 17) hosts the musical segment looking at concepts such as beat, rhythm, pitch and melody using pianos, guitars, bells and other instruments to his aid. Formerly presented by Tim Harding (Original Series 1-9), Stevie Nicholson (Original Series 10), Tim Maddren (Original Series 11-13) and Ainsley Melham (House Series 1-3). *'Shay Clifford' (Series 17) presents a segment on logical thinking and mathematics looking at numbers, puzzles and mazes - this segment also features Jup Jup, a puppet who is not seen yet, but constantly plays tricks on her. Formerly presented by Kathleen de Leon Jones (Original Series 1-8), Sun Pezzimenti (Original Series 9-10), Fely Irvine (Original Series 11-13) and Dayen Zheng (House Series 1-3). *'Lachie Dearing' (Series 17) presents a segment exploring shape, colour, texture and pattern including coloured boxes, balls and play-dough. Formerly presented by Nathan Foley (Original Series 1-10) and Stevie Nicholson (Original Series 11-13 & House Series 1-3). *'Courtney Clarke' (Series 17) hosts the section wordplay looking at language and sounds with the help of her puppet friend Chatterbox ("Chats"). Formerly presented by Kellie Crawford (Original Series 1-10) and Casey Burgess (Original Series 11-13), Lauren Brant (House Series 1) and Tanika Anderson (House Series 2-3). There is also a segment where all five presenters join together to present a story. This segment is to promote social skills and group problem-solving. Australian TV series * Hi-5 Australia * Hi-5 House About the reasons for changes *'"Where are the old Hi-5?" ask followers' International versions * Hi-5 USA * Hi-5 UK * Chào Bé Yêu * Hi-5 Fiesta * Hi-5 Philippines * Hi-5 Indonesia Timeline Timeline replacement.png|Timeline by replacements Timeline segments.png|Timeline by segments Video Category:Hi-5 Australia Category:Hi-5 USA Category:Hi-5 UK Category:Hi-5 House Category:Hi-5 Philippines Category:Hi-5 Fiesta Category:Chao Be Yeu Category:1999 Category:2000 Category:2001 Category:2002 Category:2003 Category:2004 Category:2005 Category:2006 Category:2007 Category:2008 Category:2009 Category:2010 Category:2011 Category:2012 Category:2013 Category:2014 Category:2015 Category:2016 Category:2017 Category:2018 Category:2019